


Melody of the Heart

by fluffyposting



Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Contemplating the Future, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Magic, Marriage Proposal, Not Beta Read, Possibly Out of Character, Romance, Sirens, Too-Ticky can talk to spirits, im doing my best
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-02-29 19:47:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18784978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fluffyposting/pseuds/fluffyposting
Summary: In the end, it's best to follow your heart. Snufkin just has to decide if he wants to.





	1. Message in a Bottle

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted to write something based off of my favorite marriage event from Rune Factory so this came about! I based the first two chapters off of two other events from the game as well, and I'll mention which one is for each chapter! 
> 
> This chapter is based off of the town event, "Memories By the Lake".

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Moomin, Snufkin and Little My take to cleaning the beach and find an interesting discovery.

When the magpie sang and the bright colors of May finally blossomed across the valley it brought forth the bubbling excitement that Moomintroll had for the summer. Ideas for adventures danced across the forefront of his thoughts as he slid down the rope ladder, excited to find Snufkin and ask him to join in on one or two. Or perhaps they could go on a date! They hadn't gone on one since Snufkin returned to the valley! Such an idea sent an excited twitch through Moomintroll's tail.

The mumrik’s tent was set up as it always was, a few feet away from the river and nestled among the trees. Peaceful and quiet, where Snufkin wouldn’t be bothered less someone went out of their way to find him. Snufkin was crouched by his fire pit once Moomintroll arrived. “Snufkin!” He chirped, skipping and bounding down the path and over the wooden bridge. There were so many things for them to do today! He couldn’t wait to share his ideas with Snufkin and see which ones he liked the most!

“Good morning, Moomintroll.” Snufkin said, tipping his hat in greeting. He watched Moomintroll slow to a stop, admiring the air of excitement he was giving off. 

"What are your plans for the day?" Moomintroll asked. He watched as Snufkin silently stood and wandered over to one of his log benches, where a sack lay deflated against it. He regarded the sack with displeasure that Moomintroll took notice of. With a frown, he asked, "What's wrong?" 

“Someone has been littering on the beach.” Snufkin explained, “It’s quite troublesome.”

“Oh,” Moomintroll replied, ears flattening back against his head. That was quite upsetting, the beach was so lovely and it was one of their favorite places to visit. “Do you think it’s just one person?”

With a shake of his head Snufkin replied, “No. We’ve had more visitors to the valley this year; they must not think before throwing their trash around.” He hummed, turning to leave, “Have a good day, Dove. May I see you later?”

Cleaning up garbage had not been in Moomintroll’s expectations for the day, but just leaving Snufkin to clean it up alone felt wrong. It was everyone’s beach and he loved it just as much. “Let me help!” Moomintroll chirped, adding a bounce in his step to catch up with Snufkin.

Snufkin hummed, curiously. Stopping and turning to face the troll once more.

“We can clean it up faster if we work together!” Moomintroll explained, taking Snufkin’s paw in his own and leading them down the old beach path.

As they wandered, Snufkin hummed, "Remember how we skated down this path when the Groke froze it over?"  
  
Moomintroll groaned, “Don’t remind me.” Learning to skate with Snufkin had been fun, but all the near-deaths they had didn't sit too well with him. 

They made their way down the path by foot this time, taking in the lovely vibrancy that only summer could give. Tree leaves shined a brilliant emerald in the rays of light that danced upon them, and dog woods bloomed, reaching for the sky. What a lovely day. Moomintroll thought, casting a glance in Snufkin's direction, though Snufkin looks even lovelier. And it was true; though he'd never say it aloud to Snufkin. It was mesmirizing, watching the way he lit up in the sunlight. The greens of his old, beaten up clothes were more pale and his hair shined in the sun (from the looks of it, his hair needed a good clean). 

“Where are you two stealing off to?” Asked Little My, popping out of the bushes before them.

Giving Moomintroll quite the fright, causing him to jump and yelp. Once he realized it was My, he huffed, “None of _your_ business, Little My.”

At the same time, Snufkin explained, “We’re cleaning up the beach!” They both blinked, before giving the other looks. “Well, three people would be better than two, don't you think?” Snufkin explained, giving Moomintroll a smile he could never say no to. Moomintroll hated how close Snufkin and Little My were sometimes! How did he handle her so well? 

“So I can join?” My asked, hopping a few paces closer, placing her hands on her hips and giving them both a grin.

“Yes,” Moomintroll sighed, “But, on one condition. _You mind your own business_.”

“I always mind my own business.”

Neither had noticed Snufkin slipping off ahead of them and their little sibling-esque quarrel that he had no desire to be apart of. The beach needed cleaning and he wanted nothing more that to return it to its beauty. When he stepped foot on the beach, he sighed. How awful it is for others to throw their trash on the ground without a second thought. Yes, nature belonged to everyone, and they were free to do as they pleased! But disrespecting nature by using it as their personal trash-can was just _too much_.

So he set about cleaning while Moomintroll and Little My were off doing who knew what. Snufkin started at the furthest left corner of the beach, finding metal cans and glass bottles and plastic that would have surely hurt an ocean critter had it been left any longer. There had been items of a more inappropriate nature that he scowled at, using a discarded stick to pick it up and toss it in the garbage sack. 

“Haha, beat you!” Came the excited shrill of Little My, skipping out of the forest and on to the beach, she twirled in the sand, snatching up a can Snufkin hadn’t gotten to cleaning up yet and triumphantly cheered, “I sleep in your room tonight!”

Snufkin stopped his cleaning to observe the two, finding a small smile make its way onto his face. Even in his most sour of moods Moomintroll and Little My found tiny ways to cheer him up again without even noticing it. And speaking of Moomintroll, he came through a clearing in the trees, his tail swishing unhappily behind him.

Little My spun around once again and with all the precision of a pro-athlete, she tossed the can right at Moomintroll’s head. It hit him with a soft ‘thunk’ before landing at his feet.

Snufkin gasped, just as Moomintroll grasped his head and shouted, “Ow! What was that for?”

“Because I felt like it! Now hurry up, we’ve left Snufkin all alone to do the cleaning!” She exclaimed, bounding across the sand and grasping the hem of Snufkin’s coat once she reached him. She peaked her head around to see Moomintroll glaring at her, the can she threw now clenched tight in his paw.

“Come on now,” Snufkin said, shooing Little My away from him, “The beach won’t clean itself, and do apologize to Moomintroll while you're at it.” She stuck her tongue out at him in a playful manner before waltzing back down the beach to collect the smaller pieces of trash (for other pieces were far too big for her to carry). 

“We shouldn’t have let her come,” Moomintroll said, dropping the can into the sack Snufkin held. "A bad idea." 

“Well, it was quite a surprise to see her throw the can so well.” Snufkin replied, giving Moomintroll a gentle smile and patting him on the shoulder, “Does it hurt too bad, Dove?”

"Not really," Moomintroll replied, gently touching the spot where the can hit. "I think I'll be fine." 

"Alright, then let's get started shall we?" 

With a nod, Moomintroll sighed, taking to the opposite side of the beach and picking up all the trash he could find. Among the trash were pieces of sea glass. One in particular caught his eye, a smooth mossy green that reminded him of Snufkin's coat. He set it on a rock behind him and made a mental note to come back for it later.

Just as he finished his section of the beach a wave washed ashore, pulling away loose sand and that was when he found something else: a small bottle in the sand. “Hello,” He said to himself, crouching before it and gently pawing away at the damp ground. The bottle was empty from what Moomintroll could see but perhaps Snufkin could use it on his travels.

“Moomintroll, are you finished?” Said man called from the middle of the beach, where he and Little My stood. The beach was much nicer now and the sack of trash was quite full.

“I’ll be right there!” Moomintroll replied, turning around to grab the piece of sea glass he’d found before hurrying back to the two.

Snufkin regarded the beach with a quick once over, “I’d say that about does it. Did we miss anything?”  Moomintroll and Little My glanced around with him and none of the trio found anything out of the ordinary.

Little My hummed, stretching her paws above her head, “It’s nice to clean every once in a while.”

“It is, perhaps we should help Mama clean more often.” Moomintroll said. He rolled the bottle he picked up between his paws and it clicked gently against the sea glass.

“What’s that? I want to see!” Little My huffed, hopping up and down to try and get a better look at the object.

Moomintroll twisted his torso, pulling the bottle away from her, “Absolutely not! I found it and I’m giving it to Snufkin!”

“Whatever, it’s probably junk anyway.” Little My huffed, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes. She turned her back to the two, allowing Moomintroll to hand it over to Snufkin. 

“Here,” Moomintroll said and Snufkin took the bottle in his paw. Along with it, he handed over the sea glass, which Snufkin happily pocketed. “It might help you on your travels.” Little My turned to watch them curiously as Snufkin regarded the bottle.

“Oh my!” Snufkin exclaimed, holding the bottle up to the sky and peering at it with one eye, “A Melody Bottle; here, in Moominvalley?”

“A Melody Bottle?” Both Moomintroll and Little My asked at the same time. The little mymble turning to face him, while Moomintroll regarded him with eyes of awe and curiosity. 

“Yes, definitely a Melody Bottle! Look,” Snufkin said, tilting the bottle just slightly in the sun, revealing tiny, faint shadows of music notes that bounced around gently inside. “This is a magical bottle with a siren’s song sealed inside of it.”

“Cool!” My gasped, excitedly hopping in place, “Let’s open it and listen!”

“A siren’s song you said? I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Moomintroll interjected, his eyes bouncing from Snufkin, to the Melody Bottle, and Little My. “Aren’t siren songs dangerous?”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine!” Little My said, quickly snatching the bottle from Snufkin before he could protest. She popped the cork off, and soon the notes gained color as they floated from the bottle and danced through the air.

The trio watched the music notes flutter in awe, for they had never seen such a lovely sight before. Snufkin, in all his travels had only ever heard of Melody Bottles, never had he received a chance to hear one. When they expected a song, instead they heard words; a message. 

_My dearest Ellia,_

_I hope this finds you, one day._  
  
_Even if it’s a hundred years from now._  
  
_Even if the memory of my name has long since faded from your heart._

_Do you remember me?_

_I wish we could meet again another way._  
  
_Perhaps we will in another life, many, many moons from now._

 _I’ve grown old; and I fear I can no longer hear your lovely songs,_  
  
_Or come to see you, even._

_But  I’m so glad I got to hear your melodies. I’m so glad I met you._

_I hope my voice finds you one last time._

_Thank you, and farewell._

_My dearest, lovely Ellia._  
  
_Yours, Regina._

As the message ended, the notes faded and returned to the bottle and Little My corked it closed once more. Moomintroll felt an ache in his heart; one much like when Snufkin had left the first time, so long ago. He could only imagine what the speaker was feeling with every word that she said. Would a day come where he and Snufkin were to part one last time, never to see each other again? Would they leave a letter only for it to be lost to time, never read by the other?  
  
He prayed not as he let his gaze fall to Snufkin’s face, which held a similar look of melancholy. His eyes drooped with sorrow and silently, Moomintroll reached for his paw. Snufkin jolted slightly at the contact before tilting his head to give Moomintroll a small smile. 

“That didn’t sound like a song,” Little My said, finally breaking the solemn silence that filled the air between them.

Snufkin shook his head, “No, Little My. I think it was a message. A very sad one, at that.”

“What should we do with it? It doesn’t feel right, just to throw it away.” Little My said, turning the bottle over in her paws; a frown on her face and sadness in her eyes. Moomintroll found it surprising to see the message had affected Little My in such a way. The speakers voice had been so sad. Heartbreaking, really. 

She was right, it felt wrong to toss the bottle. Moomintroll wouldn't be able to sleep at night, knowing there were people out their that this message needed to get to.  “You’re right," He said. Hm, it had been quite a long time since he'd agreed with Little My on anything. 

Crouching before the tiny mymble, Snufkin held out the paw that wasn't holding Moomintroll's, and gave her a smile, “I’ll hold on to it. Perhaps I’ll meet this Ellia on my winter travels.”

“Are you sure, Snufkin?” Moomintroll asked as Little My slipped the bottle in to Snufkin’s paws.

“Of course! Regina wanted Ellia to receive this message. I want to help get it there,” Snufkin said, giving Moomintroll and Little My his handsomest smile. One he hadn’t even planned, but the message had moved him so dearly, he couldn’t bare to not give reuniting the bottle with it’s rightful owner a try. The idea made him warm in an odd sense, though he couldn't place why. 

“How are you going to manage that, Snufkin? All you have to go on is a name.” Little My said, her arms once again crossed while she gave the mumrik a look of disbelief. “Surely, you aren’t planning on going around the whole of Moominvalley and beyond, asking everyone if they’ve heard of a woman named Ellia?”

“Maybe I will,” Snufkin said, carefully placing the Melody Bottle in his pocket.

“Sometimes, I don’t get you.” Little My huffed, shaking her head and turning on her heel. “I’m going home!” She said, and with that, she hurried off into the forest, leaving Moomintroll and Snufkin by themselves in the dying light of the day.  
  
  
A moment of silence passed between the pair. Neither had noticed their paws were still intertwined until Moomintroll spoke up, “Are you alright?”

Snufkin acknowledges this with a nod. Silent and still lost in his thoughts. “I’m quite alright,” He finally says, giving Moomintroll’s paw a comforting squeeze. “Shall we head home?”

Moomintroll hummed, thinking over the question. Then, he cast his gaze toward the sea, and then back to Snufkin, shaking his head, “Not really. You know, we haven’t had the chance to have a date since you’ve come back.” He said, tail twitching from side to side, “Want to swim?”

“I suppose a quick dip wouldn’t hurt.” Snufkin said, slipping his paw from Moomintroll’s so that he could tie up the trash bag nice and tight, so if the bag spilt over; neither would have to worry about cleaning up again. He set it to the side against a rock, along with his coat (melody bottle and mossy sea glass tucked safely in his inner pocket), his boots and socks, and his trousers.

A quick dip had turned into nearly an hour of splashing one another, Moomintroll trying dunk Snufkin under the water so his hair could be properly cleaned, and a fun game of tag (because Snufkin absolutely _refused_ to let Moomintroll wash his hair!). Their laughter filled the warm air until sun fully set; and the two realized how fast time had gone.

They wandered out of the water, arms around each other and laughing still. What a lovely day it had been! Moomintroll was glad he decided to join Snufkin on his excursion to clean the beach, not only had he got to have a lovely time with Snufkin, he was also quite happy to clean the beach.

“Oh no,” Moomintroll whispered when they returned to the garbage bag and Snufkin’s clothes, “We don’t have towels!”

“Well, I suppose we’ll have to air dry!” Snufkin said, shaking his now clean hair to rid it of excess water, before pulling on his clothes. 

By the time they returned to Moominhouse, the sun had long since fallen asleep beyond the hills and the stars had started to come forth, blinking happily and filling out the sky in tiny pinpricks.

“Good night, Snufkin!” Moomintroll said, bounding up the steps to the door. At the lest step with his paw on the handle, he turned to regard Snufkin in the moonlight one last time before going to sleep. He asked, “I’ll see you in the morning, right?”

“Of course,” Snufkin replied with a tip of his hat and a smile, “Good night, Dove!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited to churn out this story omg. I'm sorry if this chapter is a little boring, but I promise that it's super important to the plot! Next chapter we get some Too-Ticky, Snufkin realizes he has feelings, and Moomin is still a little scared of the dark.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos' are greatly appreciated<3


	2. A Song of Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Which Snufkin plays a song for a couple who have long since become spirits. Their story hits a bit too close to home and Snufkin is forced to rethink his relationship with Moomintroll. (If only it were that easy.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took so long because I spent most of the time writing the ending chapters and my G O O D N E S S am I ready to post those but I must restrain myself... Also, I wasn't actually expecting this chapter to be 4k words but here we are! Sheesh. 
> 
> The song that Snufkin plays for the couple in this chapter is calls LAFS, from the Rune Factory 4 soundtrack! It's a really lovely song and if you want to give it a listen you can find it on youtube! Also God I love Too-Ticky.  
> This chapter is based off of the town event "A performance without an Audience."

There are rumors of an abandoned mansion somewhere in Moominvalley. No one knows if it’s true or exactly where it might be for every inch of the valley has been explored by the inhabitants already. There wasn’t a single blade of grass untrodden or stone left unturned. Yet the rumors stayed persistent, and Moomintroll found himself ever curious when the topic arose. But the interest always died away before a full hunt for the house could ever be formed.

The autumn leaves had begun to fall, hues of red, yellow and brown scattered across the valley. Moomintroll loved and hated this, for it meant that the bittersweet winter would soon be around the corner and Snufkin would inevitably be migrating south for warmer weather. That didn’t change the fact they would tried to spend as much time together as they could before Snufkin left Moominvalley and Moomintroll took to hibernating (though, rather reluctantly).

One day in the middle of Autumn, the two sat by the beach, taking in one of the last warm days of the season, enjoying the salty sea air that brushed against their faces while they hummed a tune to the sound of the waves that crashed melodically against the seashore.

“Where do you think you’ll go this year, Snufkin?” Moomintroll asks, watching the fishing lure as it slowly bobs in the water. They hadn’t much luck in catching anything yet, as it seemed that no matter what each fish would pass on by, none curious enough to give the bait a nibble.

Snufkin, who had taken to lounging, one leg over the other, hat resting atop his face to keep the sun out of his eyes, gave a hum. He’d said it many times before, these things happened at random and he couldn’t choose which way his heart decided to pull him. After a time of silence, lazy and content, he replied, “I'm not sure, Moomin.”

In the silence that followed, Moomintroll curled up next to Snufkin, much like a cat would. The lazy afternoon sun was making him sleepy and he figured it wouldn’t do any harm to take a short nap. Both seemed to fall into peaceful dreams and roll closer in their sleep on the

“Hey, you guys!” The shrill voice of Little My rang throughout the beach after some time had passed, disturbing the peaceful moment between the two. She stopped before them, kicking some dirt and lifting Snufkin’s hat off of his head before saying, “Too-Ticky is looking for you.”

“Me?” Snufkin asked languidly, blinking at the sudden rays of light that invaded his vision; trying to get the slight sting in his eyes to pass. When Little My nodded he added, “What for?” He sat up, rubbing the heaviness from his eyes.

“I don’t know, she just asked me to find you.” She explained, turning on her heel, “She said to meet her at Moominhouse!”

Moomintroll sat up, groggily rubbing his paw against his face and murmuring, “What did she want?”

“Too-Ticky wants to meet us at Moominhouse,” Snufkin said. He stood, pulling his fishing rod from the water. On the hook, the worm still sat, completely ignored by all the fish that had passed by. With a huff, he pulled the worm from the hook and tossed it in to the sea; perhaps a fish might pass it by later and be grateful for an easy dinner.

“What do you think she wants?”

“I’m not sure.”

Once they arrived, they found Too-Ticky happily enjoying tea on the veranda with Mama, Papa, and Little My (who had her own glass of milk). As Moomintroll and Snufkin reached the bottom of the steps, she regarded them with a smile and said, “Hello, boys! How are you two this fine day?”

“Quite swell, thank you.” Snufkin replied, “Little My said you wanted to see me?” 

"Yes," Too-Ticky said, setting her cup of tea down. It sounded with a clink against the plate as she continued, "Someone requested that the best musician in Moominvalley come at once, Moominmamma and Moominpappa said you'd be right for the job."

"Me?" Snufkin asked. He knew that tales of his music had spread quite far among the valley, (a fact that made him quite uncomfortable). However he wouldn't go as far as to call himself the best musician in the whole valley. After a moment of contemplation, and an encouraging grin from Moomin, Snufkin replies, "I suppose it couldn't hurt." 

Mama and Papa waved them goodbye as Too-Ticky, Moomintroll, and Snufkin, made their way into the woods to find the old manor long rumored to be forgotten.

"So the old mansion is real?" Moomintroll asked, "And someone wants to hear Snufkin play there?"

"Yes! But dear Moomintroll, you must remember to be respectful once we arrive," Too-Ticky said, giving him and Snufkin a stern look.

So the three wandered down the path, the sound of leaves crunching beneath their feet and birds chirping surrounding them. Just as the whimsical colors of red and orange and brown glowed spectacularly in the sun, leaving an atmosphere of magic that surrounded them with each step they took. Too-Ticky led them down a path where they found a cave that opened up to them. An air of welcoming mystery surrounded it, seeping beneath their fur and into their bones. They walked until the cave grew dark and only Snufkin could see what was before them with his night eyes and as they walked through the darkness, he took Moomintroll by the paw and led him with a comforting paw. It seemed Too-Ticky was fine with the darkness, perhaps she had night eyes like Snufkin did.

They continued until a soft light greeted them, and as the trio stepped out onto a new path, crystals, shining with blues and whites and purples illuminated their way in the places where the sunlight couldn't find them.

"It's beautiful," Snufkin whispered, slowing to a stop, Moomintroll stopped too, wrapping his arms around Snufkin's waist to balance himself before peering over the mumrik's shoulder. "Wouldn't you agree?" Snufkin asks, turning his head to look at the troll. His eyes shimmer with the reflection of the crystals and their glow. His fur looks quite lovely in this lighting as well, as it gives the white a soft, glowing halo. Moomintroll is so lovely, Snufkin thinks. I'm so lucky to call him mine. He lets the thought pass by with a soft flush, giving Moomin a smile.

Moomintroll nods as best as he can with his head where it is. “Yeah,” he replies curtly, His eyes following Too-Ticky as she gazes around too, searching for something, or perhaps she too is taking her time, preserving this moment to memory. It's nice having a bit of light, though it's still a bit too dark for his liking. At least the warmth of Snufkin in his arms is comforting. He lets his eyes flicker to Snufkin as the mumrik turns and lets his anxiety melt into a loving warmth when Snufkin smiles at him.

Too-Ticky leads them out of the room of crystals, off of the path the cave revealed to them and to another that nature has taken over with time. It was hard to tell that a path had even been where they walked, less one looked closely. Moomin did, his tail dusting against the dirt and his nose twitching at the old, musty smell of the cave. 

Finally, they arrived. Pushing out past the thicket that hid the manor. Before them it sat, windows aligned with candles whose flickered gently. It didn't look abandoned in the slightest, actually. The fallen leaves of autumn were raked neatly into piles; where some of the leaves at the very top drifted off from the light gusts of wind that passed by every now and again. A dirt path lead to the place they stepped out from, but cut off quite suddenly behind them. 

What an odd place. 

"Come on, we'll find them inside." Too-Ticky says, stepping forward as gesturing for the two boys to follow. They share a curious look before following behind Too-Ticky, entering the door as she holds it open for them. Snufkin feels out of place in a home as lovely as this, but Moomintroll easily pulls him from those thoughts with a silent pull of his paw, leading him down the hall to follow Too-Ticky. 

She leads them to a ball room, and upon entering, Snufkin finds it's just as lovely as the rest of the home. Golden lanterns decorated with red tassels aligned the walls, all lit with yellow flames that made the lantern look orange. The marble flooring is unscathed, and Snufkin wonders if it has ever been used before now, there's no way people could dance and leave the floor this clean. 

He realizes, as he looks around that no one is in the room except them. "Where are they?" Snufkin asks, turning around to face Too-Ticky. Was the person running late? That would be understandable, for this place is quite a walk out of the way. 

"Right there," She says, pointing between Moomin and Snufkin; they turn and Moomintroll nearly jumps out of his fur! A man, quite elderly, stood on the stage, his hands clasped together with a warm smile on his face.

"I'm so sorry to startle you, young man!" The gentleman says to Moomintroll, giving a soft chuckle before he turns to Snufkin and says, "And thank you for coming on such short notice!"

Snufkin bows, "It's not a problem, kind sir. What is it you wanted me to play?"

“Oh, I’m afraid I don’t have the score with me. I do believe it’s somewhere in the house, however.” The gentleman explains, placing a hand on his cheek and frowning in thought.

"Do you think you can find it, Snufkin?" Too-Ticky asks, turning to look at him. Snufkin nods, for he doesn't expect it to be too hard to find.

"Oh, thank you so much!" The gentleman cheers, clapping his hands together and making his way off of the stage. "It should be in the East wing; I believe it was titled… Love at First Sight."

Snufkin nods and turns to leave. Moomintroll follows him with an excited grin as they leave the ballroom, returning to the foyer. Snufkin hadn't seemed to notice it the first time, however the chandelier swung slightly and glows quite brightly. He couldn't recall it being lit when they first entered. Now, it's candles flicker and show small specks of gold that shined among the white paint of the walls.

"Isn't this amazing, Snufkin?" Moomintroll asks, bumping his shoulder into Snufkin's as they wander down the elegantly furnished hall. Red and gold upholstery hang from the ceiling like small, red hills. "The Forgotten Mansion is real!"

"Indeed, though I wonder why no one has found it until Too-Ticky," Snufkin replies, eyes trailing each painting they pass. The same two men were in almost every painting, happily smiling at one another or doing something together. One caught Snufkin's attention and he stops for a moment to look at it. This place was quite a walk outside of Moominvalley; which explained why no one in the valley could ever find it, yet this painting showed the two men sitting by what had to be the river where the bridge is now. 

As he stares, transfixed by the painting, he can hear a melody playing. It's faint like a whisper, and then it stops abruptly. 

_“What a lovely melody, do you play often?"_

_"No, not really."_

_"You should, you're quite talented."_

Snufkin twitches, sniffing at the air. They had wandered down the hall to the east wing and no one was around, yet he still heard the sound of voices. "Did you hear that?" He asks, realizing he probably shouldn't have when Moomintroll makes a frightened sound and wraps his arms around Snufkin's waist, shivering nervously. Snufkin turns from the painting to Moomin, frowning at the fear on his face. 

"Hear _what?_ " Moomin asks, his tone shaking. It was quite dark in this hallway and he didn't like that  _one bit_. 

Deciding it was best to keep his realization to himself, for it would truly scare the poor Moomintroll, Snufkin shook his head and said, “Nothing. My ears must have been playing tricks on me.” With that, he pulls away to take one of Moomin’s paws in his own, giving it a comforting squeeze before leading him through the halls, “Come, let’s hurry up and find the score.”

As the continue on, Snufkin's ears twitch once more. He can hear the sounds of another conversation lingering through the air.

 _"Arin, why don't you come take a rest? You've been working for hours!"_ Came the first voice. Snufkin slowly glanced around in a silent search of the owner's voice. Surely Moomintroll could hear it too? Though that didn't seem likely, as the poor troll would have been even more frightened had he heard disembodied voices.

_"I'm not done yet, please leave me to work."_

_"But we haven't seen each other in weeks! I miss you so much.”_

_“I know, but I want to finish this.”_  
  
_“...”_   There’s a pause in the conversation between the voices as Moomin and Snufkin set about searching through the drawers for the score. He tries to ignore the voices for a time, but they're so loud now it’s hard not to acknowledge them. Snufkin is uncomfortable; something about what the two are talking about hits a bit too close to home and Snufkin doesn’t want to acknowledge it.

“Have you found anything yet, Moomin?” He asks, turning to glance at Moomin who is at the other side of the hall, shifting through a handful of papers.

“Nothing yet!” Comes Moomins reply. With a huff, he places the papers back in the drawer before returning to Snufkin’s side. With another huff, and a nervous glance around, he asks, “Where do you think it could be, Snuf?”

“Maybe the composer has a study, let’s try looking for it.” Snufkin replies, taking Moomintroll by the paw again and leading him through the hall once more. He didn’t stop until they found the door leading to the study. It was a lovely door made of oak wood, and carved into it were small, hand painted instruments that had faded over time.

Snufkin entered first, looking on in awe at all of the clippings of newspaper about performances and all of the pictures that hung from the walls. A woodwind instrument sat off to the side and a cello sat at the other side of the room, long since covered in dust and forgotten in time. How odd, for this room seemed to be the only once with so much dust. It couldn't be off limits, for Moomin and Snufkin were standing there now. Though, even if it was off limits, that wouldn't stop Snufkin from enteirng. 

Moomin slips from his side and nervously steps forward, peaking his oddly shaped head over the desk that sat in the center of the room, “Oh!” He begins, picking up a sheet of paper and turning it around to show Snufkin, and happily asking,  “Is this it?”

Snufkin takes the paper in gentle paws, pulling it closer and squinting his eyes as he reads the title. Yes, _Love at First Sight_ , scrawled in neat letters at the top. “Yes, this is it.” Snufkin says, giving Moomin an affirmative nod. With a smile, he holds out his paw and asks, “Shall we?”

Moomin says something as he goes to take Snufkin's paw but Snufkin can't hear it over the deafening cry of, _“I know you you want to focus on your music,_ _but please! **I miss you so much when you’re away**_ _ **!** You haven’t spoken to me in weeks!”_ It’s not Moomin speaking, he knows this, for the speaker's voice is much deeper that Moomin's. He turns around with a jump to face the speaker, but no one is there.

The words linger heavily on his still beating heart, hitting far too close to home for his comfort and he can feel the score tremble in his paw.

“Snufkin? Snufkin what’s wrong?” He can hear Moomintroll ask, and shifts when he feels a soft white paw on his shoulder.

“I…” Snufkin stops for a spell before shaking his head and clearing the thoughts away, “Let’s just get out of here.” He says, turning on his heel and rushing out the door. Moomintroll follows quickly behind him, calling his name for a time before giving up, realizing that Snufkin doesn't want to talk about it. 

Snufkin gives Too-Ticky and the gentleman a smile when they return to the ballroom. His heart is still trembling in his chest and he feels a bit nauseous. The spirits of the house and their issues were none of his concern, he'd realized as he rushed through the hallways, but that last thing they said reminded him too much of a conversation he once had with Moomintroll and it brought forth thoughts he’d long since locked away until now.

“Welcome back, lads!” Too-Ticky greets them with a warm smile, “How did it go?”

“It went well,” Moomin replies, gasping for breath as he slows to a stop next to Snufkin. He spares the tramp a glance and it seems he's still quite distraught over what ever happened earlier. Hopefully Snufkin will come to him later and confide in him, though Moomintroll wouldn’t hold his breath.

Snufkin shows the gentleman the score and after giving it a good look, the gentleman nods, giving the young mumrik a grateful smile. “Yes, yes! This is it! Thank you so much!" 

Snufkin gives him another smile before he produces his harmonica and he wanders onto the stage. His heart is calmed at the thought of playing a song, and as he smoothed the paper out before him, he let his heart take in the music.

Too-Ticky stops him for a moment, gesturing him to crouch, and as he does, she whispers to him, “No matter what you see or hear, _don’t stop playing_.” Snufkin pulls away, giving her a look of confusion before nodding slowly. How odd, but he accepts it silently.

Adjusting himself once more, Snufkin takes a deep, calming breath, letting his lips touch the cool metal of his harmonica. Soon a melody comes flooding from him and echoes around the ballroom.

And suddenly, it’s as if the ballroom comes to life with the faint image of couples dancing spins around the room in a beautiful flutter of gowns and coat tails . At the center of it all, however, is a couple. Two men Moomin recognize from the paintings in the hallway.

 _“Augustus,”_ The first man greets.

 _“Arin!”_ The second replies with a cheer, taking the other mans hands within his own. Moomin realizes that he is the gentleman form earlier. _“Oh, what a lovely tune it is that the young man is playing, is it not?”_

 _“It is a lovely tune, yes.”_ Arin replies, resting his head atop the others for a moment. They stand close, holding one another and swaying gently to the lovely melody Snufkin produces. Arin pulls away when Snufkin enters the bridge of the song, smiling wide at Augustus. He takes one of his hands and places it on Augustus’ cheek, saying, _"The song he's playing, I wrote it for you."_

"It's lovely," Augustus cooes, placing his hand over Arin’s, _"I'm so glad I finally got to hear it."_

_"I'm sorry it took so long."_

_"Don't be, we're together now, aren't we? That's all that matters."_

_"Yes, I'd say it is."_

The couple meet in a kiss, one that seems to illuminate the room so brightly, Snufkin could see the difference in light from behind his eyelids, but remembering what Too-Ticky said, he continues to play. Their words had pulled at his heart as he played, but he forced himself to continue playing.

When the song finally came to an end, he took a deep breath and looked up at Moomintroll and Too-Ticky

His heart felt heavy as Moomintroll rushed on to the stage, gushing, "Snufkin, that was amazing!" Snufkin wished he could feel some sort of glow, but the story of Arin and Augustus lingered.

It reminded him of himself and Moomintroll.

Too-Ticky spoke, but Snufkin didn't catch it. He took a moment before turning to look at her and asking, "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

"You helped them move on, thank you, Snufkin." She repeated with a smile, "Mamma and Pappa were right, having me ask you."

Snufkin sheepishly smiled, tilting his hat and turning his gaze to the wooden planks of the stage. Moomin takes his paw and leads him off the stage, stopping before Too-Ticky. “What happened to those men?” Moomin asks and Snufkin finds his heart shake with a small amount of dread.

“Oh,” Too-Ticky sighed, gaze casting downwards and then turning back towards the center of the room where Arin and Augustus had stood. “This mansion belongs to the spirits. Many years ago a couple lived here. They loved the world and everything to do with it. One was a musician who was always indulged in his work, and many times forgot to speak with the ones he loved. This effected his husband the most. One day, they were going to go to an opera where one of his songs would be performed. The one that Snufkin just played; it was written for his husband. But he died in an accident before he could even arrive, leaving his husband all alone here."

Snufkin kept up a soft smile as Too-Ticky relayed the story to them. It made his heart hurt as he thought about it; for no wonder the conversation he heard between the two was so close to home.

All he could think about was Moomintroll and how he didn't want him to suffer through the same fate.

* * *

 

As they returned to the valley, Moomintroll excitedly walks Snufkin back to his tent. He hopped and skipped and hummed, "How wonderful is that, Snufkin? You helped spirits pass on!" He spun before stopping and turning to Snufkin with a grin.

"It was nice, yes." Snufkin replies. He can't find it in him to bring up the thoughts his heart refuses to stop lamenting on. He and Moomin are already so close now, having easily fallen into being a couple before either of them really realized it. But, there was always the fact that Snufkin was a wanderer at heart. He needed his space. He couldn't be there for Moomintroll the way he needs him. 

He's silent for the rest of the walk as they arrive back to Snufkin's camp. Moomintroll hummed, "Can I give you a goodbye kiss?" 

"Of course," Snufkin replies with a chuckle, though his heart isn't really in it. He still nuzzles his nose against Moomin's in a soft Moomin-kiss, feeling the weight on his heart lift, if only a little. But as Moomin whispers goodbye and turns to leave, that feelings comes back. 

He watches Moomintroll enter Moominhouse with a melancholic sigh. There’s too many thoughts spiraling in his head now and he needs to get away to sort them out. With a turn on his heels, he sets about packing up his tent, and before leaving, he stops for a moment. It wouldn't hurt to write Moomin a letter. 

Though, this one is short and to the point. 

 _Dearest Moomintroll,_  
_I feel that my travel is calling for me early this year. May you rest well._  
_I shall see you in the spring._  
_Sweet dreams,_  
_Snufkin._

With that, he slips the letter into the mailbox, turns, and leaves. 

Snufkin isn't sure when he'll return, all he knows is that he needs to get away for a while and sort out these heart-wrenching feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hm, if the ending made your heart hurt get ready because next chapter gets even sadder. And then the chapter after that? Whew, that's a doozy. Sometimes you just have feelings and gotta run away from 'em. I dig it.  
> I might come back and edit this chapter if I have to but I feel like I'm good with it for now. 
> 
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated! I thrive on feedback!<3


	3. It Would be a Shame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Snufkin is forced to come to term with his feelings and loses his voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY *POPS PARTY POPPER* We are finally at the start of why I started writing this fic and OH my god I am sooooooo excited. I am. Excited. 
> 
> I'm gonna leave a bit of a warning here because Little My spills Snufkins feelings without his permission, also Snufkin is kind of implied to be having a panic attack at one point but I didn't touch on it too much.

Spring had finally bloomed among the whole of Moominvalley, bringing lovely scents of blossoms and the excited chittering of creatures who had just woken up from the peaceful dreams of their months long slumber.

Snufkin happily hummed his new Spring tune as he walked peacefully down the well known and worn path leading to the valley he decided to call home. Or, where more specifically, home _was_. For Moomintroll was in the beautifully blossoming valley, waiting for him with every step he took.

The bridge he’d come to know from many days and nights of sitting on the edge, happily fishing and playing his gayest melodies, finally came to view. And waiting, as he always did, was his dear Moomintroll, tail flicking excitedly and a green apple in hand, most likely given to him by Mama. A warm and happy feeling fluttered in his heart.

A hint of worry snagged at his heart. The memory of the couple he played for last autumn still sat heavy within him and gave him thoughts that he didn't care for, and struggled to have go away. 

"Snufkin!" Moomintroll cheered, clambering to his feet on the bridge, nearly losing his balance in the process, but caught himself easily. Once he righted himself, he hurried over the bridge, past the mailbox, and right to Snufkin, arms open in an expectant hug.

Snufkin wasn't feeling up to hugging the troll and so he shied away, and his heart thrummed painfully when Moomintroll frowned, for only a second before forcing another smile.

"Hello," He chirped, tone happy despite the anxiety Snufkin felt. "How was your winter?" 

"Good!" Moomintroll replied, he made another sound, as if he were about to say something else, but clamped his mouth shut, choosing to give Snufkin a smile. Quite perceptive, that Moomintroll. Snufkin had only been back for a handful of minutes and he could already tell something was the matter. Snufkin felt terrible, knowing instantly that he shouldn't have come back. 

* * *

Ever since his return to the valley, Snufkin had been avoiding him. Well, not only him, but everyone and Moomin couldn’t figure out why. But he knew far better than to press because if he did, Snufkin would just pull away even more. That didn't change the fact that he had missed his partner and seeing him pull away was heartbreaking.

Even though he wanted to confront him and ask what was going on, he left it be. Snufkin would seek him out when he was ready, there was no use pressuring him now or things would end up much worse.

He’s content enough to leave his window open so the sound of Snufkin’s harmonica can make its way to his ears while he’s in his room, even though the lovely tune doesn't come. Moomin tries to pass the time with reading and writing, but in the end finds himself staring at the blue sky from his window, longing to have Snufkin by his side.

Maybe Mamma needs help with her vegetable garden.

And hopefully Snufkin would seek him out sooner rather than later.

* * *

At the dawn of a warm, spring day, a rumor spread through the valley. Much like every rumor that came to them, everyone was curious to find out if this one was true or not.

Tales of a siren down by the beach filled the air and everyone was buzzing about it, worried about what she might do who who she might harm. One sailor survived wrecking his ship, while he claimed it was because he heard the most beautiful voice calling out to him. Though, many didn’t believe him; as he was known to get quite drunk when at sea.

Moomin found himself extremely curious, sneaking out of the house early the next morning when Mama and Papa were asleep so they wouldn't try to stop him. As he wandered down the path, he noticed Snufkin’s campsite, and the vagabond who was cooking something from what Moomin could tell.

Would it be worth asking Snufkin if he’d like to tag along, to see if they could find the siren? Surely it would be worth a shot, as the worst that could happen is that Snufkin would say no.

So Moomin treks down the path and wades through the blades of grass leading to Snufkin’s campsite. As he grows closer, Snufkin looks up at him, giving him a smile as he greets, “Hello, Moomintroll.”

"Hello, Snufkin!" Moomin cheers, elated by the adoration he can hear in Snufkin's tone. He wonders if Snufkin can hear it in his own tone, too. "Do you want to come check out the siren with me?" 

Snufkin's face changes through a range of expressions, from confusion to excitement. The look he got when he was about to do something exciting and dangerous blossomed across his features as he asked, "A siren? Truly?" 

"Yes! I hear her song is quite scary! She'll lead a sailor to their death if they hear her!" 

"Well then, I suppose I should go with you." 

"You will?" 

Snufkin gave a hearty chuckle before turning his head back to the fish cooking over his fire, "Yes, it could be dangerous, Moomin. We'll go after we have breakfast, how about it?" 

"Wonderful!" Moomintroll cheered, taking a seat on the old wooden log Snufkin had dragged to this spot so long ago. 

As they sat and ate together, Moomin couldn't help the excited flicking in his tail. Snufkin hadn't shied away from the idea! How splendid! Snufkin was coming back around it seemed, and Moomin couldn't be happier. 

So excited to get on with their adventure, Moomin scarfed down all he could of the bland tasting fish. Snufkin was never one to use seasonings if he was cooking for himself, so the taste made sense. Moomin doubted Snufkin even carried seasonings around with him, the vagabond probably deemed them as unnecessary. 

Snufkin had barely eaten half of his fish by the time Moomin finished his own and once he realized the troll was now sitting idly, gently kicking his feet, Snufkin looked up from his own fish, blinking curiously at Moomin. "You must have been hungry," He remarked. 

"No, I'm just glad to be able to spend time with you again." Moomin replies, giving Snufkin a beaming smile. 

"I'm glad too," Snufkin replied. His heart feels heavy and he wishes he could make that feeling go away. 

In that moment, Snufkin wished his feelings weren't so complicated. 

* * *

“There’s nothing here,” Snufkin says once they arrive to the beach, “Other than some trash.” He huffs, wandering over to a discarded can, picking it up and pocketing it to get rid of later.

Moomin sighs, sulkily walking over to where the waves licked at the sand. “Oh, I was hoping to find her, imagine how amazing that would have been!” With a huff, he kicks back at one of the waves before turning back to Snufkin and asking, “Well, since we’re here, we might as well enjoy it, right?”

Snufkin nods. He could spend some time with Moomin, it had been quite a long time since they’d spent time together and despite the heaviness in his heart from being around the troll, he truly did miss him. He wanted to spend more time with him, not just sitting by his campfire and eating.

They found a shaded spot beneath the trees, sitting side by side as they enjoyed the lovely spring morning. Snufkin finds himself singing without thinking about it, there’s no words, as it’s mostly just rambled, melodic nonsense.

“I like when you sing,” Moomin hums, glancing at Snufkin when he stops, “I wish you’d do it more.”

Snufkin shrugs, “I prefer my harmonica over my voice, Moomin.” After that, they fall into an easy and comfortable silence. The wind dancing in the trees, and nothing more than the sound of their breathing between them.

Moomintroll muses, “Mama and Papa got married on a sunny day like this one, a long time ago.” He doesn’t notice the way Snufkin stiffens at the mention of marriage. “I know it won’t happen for a while, but I hope the day of our wedding is as lovely as this one.”

The crushing guilt Snufkin had been feeling before came back, knocking the wind from him and twisting his stomach harder than ever before. He releases a shaky chuckle to cover for the distress he suddenly finds himself feeling. “Is that so?” Snufkin asks, hoping that his tone is sturdy enough not to betray him. 

Snufkin's heart beats faster and he wishes it was because he felt an overwhelming feeling of love, but he knows it's because he's afraid.

_Marriage. The day of their wedding._

He can't do this. 

With a shaking sigh, he stands to his feet, stretches and hums, trying to get his paws to stop shaking. Moomin watches him and frowns, asking, "Are you leaving already?" 

"Yes, I'd like to be alone." Snufkin replies. He doesn't want to elaborate further, and hopes Moomin doesn't push him. Without another word, Snufkin turns and wanders back to his camp.

This isn't fair to Moomintroll and Snufkin realizes this by the time he's half-way back to his tent. He's only hurting Moomin by pushing him away like this. But his feelings are too much and he doesn't understand them. Snufkin knows he has feelings as deep as the sea for the dear troll, feelings that make him as warm as the sun on the hottest summer day, but they're all too much. All these feelings make him feel as though he's been cast out to sea without a life jacket.

Somehow, he needed to get his feelings in order. 

The old night owl sang her tune as the citizens of the valley tucked themselves in for the night. The spring air was warm and scented with blooming lilacs as the wind carried it over hills and over the rivers and beds of flowers.

Snufkin sat by his fire, absentmindedly watching it perform a dance. His thoughts were nowhere and about absolutely nothing as he found himself entranced by the furious orange flame that licked at the wood he had piled together. After today, Snufkin did all that he could to put his worries out of his mind and found this empty-minded bliss comforting.

No thoughts, just nature’s song and himself.

The sound of footsteps alerted him and pulled him from his trance and with a slight turn of his head he found Little My wading through the blades of grass. “Hello, Little My.” He greeted as she came closer.

“Do you have anything to eat? Everyone at Moominhouse is asleep and I’m hungry.” She said, climbing on to the log Snufkin sat on, perching herself next to him.

Snufkin gave a laugh, “Did you come to visit me just to ask for a snack?” Even as he asked this, he was already reaching for his bag and sifting through it in a search of something for the little mymble. He pulled out a small pack of almonds and other assorted nuts and handed it over.

“No! I wanted to spend time with you too!” Little My happily replied, taking the bag of nuts from Snufkin before ripping it open. A couple fell to the ground but she didn’t bother to pick them up, instead she took to sifting through the bag to pick and choose which ones she likes most. When she found them, she happily munched away.

In the silence that followed, Snufkin turned his attention back to the dying light of the campfire. He stood and wandered over to the pile of firewood Moomintroll had delivered after Moominpappa chopped them up and grabbed two pieces, and as he tossed them into the blaze he watched as the embers rose and blew off into the night like fireflies in the summer.

“What’s wrong?”  
  
“Hm?” Snufkin turned to the little mymble. She was looking up at him with a look of concern; a look she rarely ever had. Her brows pulled together as he regarded her and asked, “What do you mean? I’m fine.”

“I don’t believe you,” She replied, setting the bag of assorted nuts down before getting to her feet. “You’re walking around like a miserable oath, tell me what’s wrong!”

Snufkin stilled his features and trained them to keep from betraying what he was feeling. Had there been something in his gait that alarmed her to his distress? Oh dear. Or perhaps Little My just noticed something was off because she had always been quiteobservant.

He’d trusted her with his thoughts before, when he’d first found her in that basket in the river. He'd trusted her with his thoughts and worries many other times after that too, despite the fact that it was might not have been the best idea. Of course, he'd already talked to her about these paticular worries, but he didn't want to talk about them any further. Finally he shakes his head, “It’s nothing to concern yourself with. Now shouldn’t you run along home? It’s quite late and you should be getting to sleep.”  
   
Little My made a noise similar to that of a frustrated growl before huffing and hopping off the log, “Fine. Don’t tell me, but I’ll find out sooner or later,” She said, giving him one final glance, adding, “If this is about what I think it’s about, you know you can’t keep running from it forever. Moomintroll is going to ask you sooner or later and you’ll need to have an answer.”

And with that, she left. Her tiny boots sounding against the wood of the bridge as she began making her way back to Moominhouse. Snufkin watched her leave with a sudden burning annoyance. A need to defy what she said and prove her wrong.

But he knew that was impossible. He’d ran away early autumn because he couldn’t face the music. He wasn’t ready to deal with this, why had he even bothered returning?

The answer was quite simple, really. He wanted to see Moomintroll.

His annoyance died down as he returned to gazing at the fire. Part of him knew he was being ridiculous. Stupid even. But. He loved Moomin. Loved him so much that the mere thought of him sends such warmth through his body, from his toes to his fingertips. Ever since he’d met Moomin, he’s found himself happier, he’s found a place to return to, even if he still needs his space.

But... the idea of not being a good enough partner for Moomintroll was bothersome. Moomin was a good person, he deserved all the love he could get but Snufkin couldn’t supply that for him. What if they were to get married? Surely, Moomintroll wouldn’t expect him to give up his freedom.

The feeling of guilt that wrenched in his gut was an awful feeling.

* * *

“Moomin, wake up!”

Moomintroll jolts awake with a yelp when something pinches his snout. He opens his eyes to find Little My perched on his chest with a look of distress in her eyes. The look sends a wave of worry through him. He asks, “What is it, Little My?”

“It’s about Snufkin! Something is bothering him, I just know it!"

“If he doesn’t want to talk about it then we shouldn’t force him, that is only going to make it worse.”

Little My scowls at him for a moment before shaking her head. “You don’t understand,” She huffs, spinning around on her heel before leaping onto the wooden floor, her back to the troll as she adds, “I’m worried about him.

“Why?”   
  
She had every right to be worried, Moomin realized as he thought on it more. Snufkin had been avoiding everyone since his return. His absence was easy to note in the spring; especially when there was a lack of lovely music wading through the valley. But if something was wrong, Moomin would stick by his belief that they should leave Snufkin be and not press him on it. 

"He normally tells me when something's bothering him." Little My mumbles. "I think I know what's wrong because he’s mentioned it before but…" She sighs, turning back to the troll. Her hair is messy, and now Moomintroll can see clear bags under her eyes and wonders how much she managed to sleep the night before.

"But?" Moomintroll repeats when Little My pauses, encouraging her to continue.

"I think you're the only one who can help him with this."

She was looking at him with a look he’d never seen before. One that showed just how worried she truly was for her dear brother. It was quite clear to him now that whatever it was Little My thought was bothering Snufkin, it had to have been something truly  
  
With the softest voice he had ever heard from the mymble, she asks, “Will you please help  
  
The answer was a clear, “Yes.”  
  
Snufkin’s campsite was much like it had been the night before when Little My stopped to visit him. Quiet and peaceful. Rays of sunlight cast down from the canopy of the forest and flowers gently danced in the soft breeze.  
  
Yet there was no Snufkin sitting by the fire.  
   
“Is he still asleep?” Moomin whispered to the mymble. She walked before him, pulling the tents zipper up enough so that she could peer inside. The sudden sound from inside answers his question for him; Snufkin is awake.

Snufkin follows Little My out of his tent, his head barren without his green hat to sit atop the fluffy brown. His face is blotchy; as though he’d been crying. Snufkin kept his gaze to the ground as he asked, “Were we supposed to go on an adventure today? I overslept, I’m sorry.”    
   
There’s a pause of silence, for no one believes the lie.

“Why won’t you open up to Moomin, Snufkin?” Little My breaks the silence. Her arms crossed and face serious. Her green eyes peer into his soul and it’s entirely uncomfortable.

“Open up about what?”

“What’s hurting you. What’s been bothering you.” She says as though it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Snufkin wants to tell her to keep quiet and not speak of this in front of Moomintroll. He’s not ready to speak about it yet! He’s not ready.

“You’re being silly, nothing is bothering me.”

Moomintroll watches the exchange between the siblings nervously. Little My is baring her teeth and Snufkin’s shoulders are pulling together tightly like a bowstring. The fur of his paws and tail are bristling and Moomin knows that Snufkin isn’t happy.

Little My shakes her head, “Fine.” She snaps at her baby brother before turning to Moomin, still speaking to Snufkin, however when she says, “If you won’t tell him then I will.”

“Little My, if Snufkin doesn’t want to talk about it you shouldn’t force him.” Moomintroll says in an attempt to stop her from causing Snufkin any more stress..  
  
It doesn’t work.  
  
“Snufkin is afraid.” Little My says, “We all know he’s never been one to enjoy the company of others. For all his life, he’s been alone; has he not?” She ignores Snufkin’s shaky gasp of her name as she continues, “But there’s one person who tore all of that down and it scares him.”  
   
Snufkin isn’t sure why he’s still listening to her try to analyze him like this to Moomintroll. He doesn’t have to listen to such foolery. He should just turn around and leave. Ignore whatever she’s saying and push it out of his mind.  
  
But he can’t. His feet are frozen to the ground, as if the Groke had passed him by, leaving her trail of ice. 

“And there’s one thing he’s terrified of most, because he’s worried it won’t end well.”  
  
Oh no. Snufkin realizes with a rush of adrenaline, she’s going to tell Moomintroll.  
  
“Little My, _don’t_.” He tries to warn but it comes out with a tremor.

_“He’s scared of marrying you.”_

“What?” Moomin asks, head turning from Little My to Snufkin. “Really? But Snufkin, why?”  
  
Snufkin turns around so that he isn’t facing them. His shoulders are still tight and he’s trembling slightly, from anger or fear, Moomin didn’t know, but he wants to reach out and hold him and tell him it will be okay, but he doesn't.   
  
Little My turns back to him as she speaks, “He’s scared he won’t be good enough," She turns to Snufkin, adding, "But Snufkin. You need to understand that Moomin loves you and he’s already accepted you for who you are.”  
  
Snufkin doesn’t hear her, for he’s still reeling from what she’s confessed for him. He’s angry. “You’re right Little My,” He finally says. Tone harsh, as he continues. “I am afraid. But what would you know of it?” He turns around on his heels again, brown locks and green coat snapping into a flutter before falling back against his body.

“Snufkin-”  
  
He cuts her off, “No. You’re right, all my life I’ve been alone.” He turns to Moomin and sighs, “But Moomin, you’ve become so important to me. I never expected to find a place I’d long to return to. I never thought I’d have someone so close to me that I’d love, someone who is willing to wait for me. But that’s the problem. I’m scared one day you’ll grow tired of this. Of who I am and of my need to travel. To be alone.”  
  
“Snufkin, listen to me!” Little My snaps, once again Snufkin cuts her off.

“You don’t understand!” He snaps back, “You-” Snufkin shakes his head and scoffs, a flurry of emotions passing his features before he turns around and leaves. Running through the trees and out of their sight. He’s too angry to hold a proper conversation; he can’t think properly enough to continue on.

Moomin runs forward, “Snufkin!” He calls out, but Snufkin’s already too far gone down whatever path of the forest he chose to take. Moomin watches helplessly as Snufkin begins to blend in among the foliage. With a frustrated growl he didn’t even realize he had in him, he turns to Little My and snaps, “What was that for? Didn’t you see how uncomfortable you were making him?”  
  
Little My is still staring at the spot Snufkin had just stood; shocked from Snufkin’s outburst. “I-” She sighs, “I just wanted to help.”  
  
“I understand that! But you should have asked what _he_ wanted before forcing a solution onto him, Little My!” Moomin scolds. He’s so angry and confused he doesn’t know what to think. He’s angry with Little My because of her brash actions and angry because he wants to follow after Snufkin but knows that will do the mumrik no good. “If he’s still here tomorrow, count yourself lucky.”  
  
With that, he leaves the mymble to stand alone, staring off into the forest with a look of regret as he storms off back home, furiously crushing blades of grass under his feet.

* * *

Snufkin runs until he reaches the beach; it’s become a comforting spot to him as of lately. He releases a sigh, willing his body to calm itself and let his muscles stop being so tight, but it doesn’t seem to work. He’s still strung tight as he sits by the sea side; listening to the waves.

Suddenly, he remembers the melody bottle the three of them found last summer. He still hadn’t found Ellia, but his mind had been on other things all winter. Hm. Maybe he should leave again, try to find that woman that the bottle was meant to go to.

Perhaps he would when it suited him to do so. It would be best to stay, now that these thoughts and feelings are out in the open, there’s no point in him running away.

The sea is lovely. So calming with its song, he finds himself humming to his new spring tune. Letting words form as a whisper on his lips while he does so. He’s so focused on the melody that when it gets interrupted by a splash of the water, his eyes snap open with a frustrated huff.

The huff turns to an involuntary yelp, however, when Snufkin’s eyes meet a vibrant gray, surrounded by a black sclera. He pulls away, pushing himself to his feet as she swims closer to the shore.

Yes. He’s upset but he is not willing to be tempted to death by a sirens song.

“Hello, young man.” She greets, her tone silky and drawn out. Almost as if she’s putting on an act. Almost as if she doesn’t care for this at all.

Snufkin keeps his distance as he replies, “Hello…”  
  
“You have a lovely voice.”  
  
“Thank you, I made it myself.”

She gives a laugh, “Oh! A joker, I see!” Her laugh falls to a giggle before she shakes her head, her soaking black hair slips over her shoulder as she does so. “Your partner must love that about you.”  
  
Snufkin feels his fur bristle at the mention of Moomintroll, “How do you-”  
  
“The two of you were here yesterday,” She explains, leaning forward on one of the rocks. Boredly, she twirls a lock of black hair around her finger as she adds, “I heard you singing to him then too, and I knew right away I had to meet you.”

Snufkin feels his face heating up, for he rarely sings and rarely gets compliments on his voice.  
  
“Well,” She begins, pushing herself up onto the rock slowly, a long black tail shining with emerald scales flops out of the water and Snufkin finds himself in awe, he’d never seen a siren before and they truly are lovely, but he doesn’t care for their beauty. Nothing could compare to Moomintroll. “It would be a shame if someone stole it.” She says nonchalantly, flicking the strand of hair away from her face before her eyes flicker to Snufkin.

She begins to sing.

Snufkin pulls back, beginning to run but the melody soon captures him and pulls him into a trance. Against his will, his feet wander towards the shore and stop where the waves kiss his boots.

The melody encourages him to sing along, so he does.

In the haze of the trance he can feel an odd burning in his throat. It stings and he can feel a lump that feels even odder. The sirens melody encourages him to sing louder, and louder he sings and soon, the lump comes fluttering out of his mouth; in it, he can hear his voice. It’s sudden and jarring and it snaps him out of his trance; his hands go to his throat instinctively and he gives a silent gasp.  
  
_“What-”_ He tries to say, but it doesn’t come out. Nothing but a silent breath.

Snufkin watches with horror as the siren holds the singing light that he realizes is his voice, to her chest. It seeps into her skin and after a moment of clearing her throat, she speaks, “Oh my, this will take some getting use to." She gives a sharp-toothed grin to Snufkin, "I've never taken a man's voice before, you must forgive me." 

Hearing his voice come from someone else is quite jarring. 

Snufkin doesn't realize she's left until he begins to back to the forest. His whole body is sleepy suddenly, most likely from the shock. Snufkin wasn't equipped to deal with this situation, for he didn't know what to do. He'd never encountered a siren until now. 

He doesn't realize he's crumbled into the sand until night falls, and he falls into a restless slumber. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! As always, comments and kudos are always greatly appreciated! 
> 
> Surprisingly, the scene with the siren (though based off of the event from Rune Factory) is more heavily inspired by the scene between Ursula and Ariel from the Little Mermaid. In Rune Factory the siren just kinda shows up, steals Margaret's voice and then dips. I wanted it to be more interesting than that for this, so I wound up with that ending scene.
> 
> P.S.  
> Chapter four will take a while to come out as I've started getting more hours at my job so I have very little free time to sit and write! (Also mental health problems suckk). Hopefully I'll be able to finish this fic within the next month, but this is just a heads up!  
> P.S.S  
> I'm sorry if this isn't very good of a story? Writing is hard when your brain doesn't work very well, but I'm trying + I might come back and edit a few things later.


	4. The Sound of Your Voice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Vibrates at the speed of sound* I love how this chapter came out. I hope y'all love it too!

The rest of the day had passed by peacefully and Snufkin still hadn't returned to his campsite. Moomin found himself growing more and more worried with each minute that passed, unnecessary thoughts of worry clouding his mind; had Snufkin gotten hurt? Was he in trouble and had no one to help him?

Moomin should have followed him.

“I’m sure he’s fine, dear.” Moominmamma says, trying to soothe her son when she catches him staring out the dining room window, pancakes left uneaten. She was doing her best to console him whenever he grew too anxious about Snufkin, but the more his mood grew sour, the heavier her heart felt. When she can't take the misery so etched into his features any longer, she tells him, “Go and look for him, dear. The worst that could happen is that Snufkin will still be upset with you. He loves you enough that his anger will fade eventually, it’s better for him to be upset with you and safe, rather than upset with you and hurt.”

Moomintroll gasps at her blessing, sitting up straight like a flower blossoming in the sun before rushing to his feet to give her a hug, “Oh, thank you, Mamma! I’ll be back soon!” He cries, and within moments he’s out the front door and running down the path.

He checks Snufkin’s campsite first, “Snufkin?” He calls, even though he knows no response will come. He doesn’t peek inside the tent, for it felt like an odd betrayal of Snufkin’s privacy. He waits a minute for a response but none comes. Next he searches all of their secret spots, hoping that Snufkin had decided to take a nap there and had simply forgotten what time it was.

There’s still nothing. Not a letter or a sign or even a single picked flower or pile of tobacco. Moomin can feel his worry grow tenfold as he wanders down the path of the beach. He hopes Snufkin is here fishing. Maybe he returned and grabbed his fishing rod in the night! Though that might have just been wishful thinking on Moomin’s part.

The beach comes in to view and with it a crumbled mess of familiar green on the shore, silent and still. “Snufkin!” Moomin shouts, pushing himself to run faster than he had ever run before; his lungs burning uncomfortably by the time he reached Snufkin’s side. Rolling him over, Moomin found that he was fast asleep, the right side of his face awfully burned from exposure to the sun. There's no response from the vagabond when Moomin lightly shakes him.

The only silver lining is that though rather shallowly, Snufkin is still breathing.

* * *

Moominmamma had Moomin retrieve a bucket of water from the well and bring it up to his room after he brought Snufkin back to Moominhouse, and once he returned with the bucket Moominmamma took to dabbing Snufkin’s forehead and behind his head very gently with a wet cloth, before leaving it to rest on his forehead. 

“What’s wrong with him, Mamma?” Moomin asks, his leg bouncing rapidly on the wooden floor of his bedroom. He’d pulled the chair of his desk over to his bedside and refused to leave Snufkin’s side ever since. He worried the tip of his tail too, even after Moominmamma told him to stop it, for he’d ruin the fur. It was comforting in a way and eased his anxiety if only a little.

“I’m not sure dear, but he’s been in the sun quite a while. He might have heat sickness.” Mamma explained, wiping her hands on her apron. They’d taken Snufkin’s coat off and rolled up his trousers to his knees in the hopes it would cool his skin. She would make some cool lemonade for when Snufkin woke up. “Will you be alright alone, dear?”

“I’ll be fine,” Moomin replied, his back to her as he spoke. He didn't care if she left him alone right now, all that mattered was Snufkin and if he would be alright. “I’ll come and get you if Snufkin wakes up.”

Moominmamma gave him a kiss on the forehead before whispering, "I'm sure Snufkin will be alright." With that, she gave him her most comforting smile before she turned to leave. 

Moomin shifted after her kiss, turning in the chair ever slightly to turn his snout to the door, watching as it closed behind her with a soft click. Through the wood he could hear the soft and distant padding of Mamma’s feet as she left for the downstairs.

He was alone with his thoughts now and he didn’t like that. Moomin had been so concerned with Snufkin’s safety that he hadn’t thought much on anything else from the night before. But now, as he turns back to Snufkin’s sleeping form, it all comes flooding back.

_“He’s afraid to marry you.”_

Moomin watches Snufkin’s chest rise and fall in tandem with his shallow breaths as Little My’s words echo in his head. In his heart. With a distressed sigh, he slumps against the side of his bed, his weight dipping the mattress slightly as he takes Snufkin's paw in his own. Snufkin surely must know that he’s free to do as he pleased no matter what their relationship was. Moomin never wanted to put him in a cage and restrict his freedom.

“Oh, Snufkin.” He sighs, wishing the vagabond would wake up then and there. Snufkin looked peaceful sleeping, at the very least. Long lashes brushing against sun-kissed cheeks and light snores that were only noticeable had someone been listening very closely.

He lets his paw brush against Snufkin’s cheek that hadn't been burnt by the sun, gently brushing away stray strands of brunette hair. Moomin took a moment to note how well Snufkin’s hair stood out against his own, snowy white fur before gently tucking it behind Snufkin's ear. Silently, Snufkin's head nuzzled into Moomin's paw while he slept. 

Moomin had no idea when or how he had fallen asleep, only that he was waking up to the feeling of soft fingers in his fur and the light scratch of claws beneath his ear. He grumbled, leaning further into the touch only to stop and realize who the owner of the claws were. “Snuff!” He gasped, sitting up straight in his desk chair, ignoring the uncomfortable stretch of his muscles as he moved so fast, “You’re awake!”

Snufkin nodded, not saying a word. 

Moomin took that as Snufkin waiting for him to say something. “Snufkin, I’m sorry about the other day.” Moomin says, ears folding back against his head. “I shouldn’t have let Little My corner you like that about your feelings. They’re your feelings and you have a right to keep them to yourself as you please. I understand if you want to be left alone right now.”

“It’s…” Snufkin coughed, stopping him from speaking.

Moomin shook his head and took Snufkin by the paw, “Don’t, mamma said you’re dehydrated.” He took a moment to glance at the nightstand, where two glasses of lemonade sat filled with ice and sweating. One was half full, and Moomin felt his eyebrows knit together in confusion. “Does your throat still hurt?”

Snufkin nodded and then shook his head, “Not… not… that.” The words were slow and scratchy, and everytime he spoke he cringed as if speaking caused him great pain.

“Hold on!” Moomin said, slipping out of his chair and running into Moominpappa’s study. Surely he wouldn’t miss a few unused pieces of paper, besides Snufkin couldn’t talk without being in pain! Papa could deal with it. 

He returned to his room with a stack of paper and one of Moominpappa’s fancy pens in paw. “Here, so you don’t have to strain yourself.” Snufkin nodded, taking the items. On one sheet of paper he wrote, ‘ _Thank you.’_ There’s a moment of silence before Moomin asks, “What happened to you, Snufkin?”

Moomin watches as Snufkin writes on the paper, pen dancing neatly in psuedo-cursive swirls as he writes. It’s a bit messy, but Snufkin’s handwriting had always been a bit off. When Snufkin is finished, he presents the paper to Moomin and Moomin reads it allowed. “‘The rumor we heard of the siren is true. It seems she has stolen my voice.’ Oh, no! Snufkin that’s awful! We must tell Mamma and Papa! Can you walk?”

Snufkin nods, pushing himself off of the bed. He stood on wobbly feet, placing his paw on Moomin’s shoulder to steady himself. Moomin gave him a look of worry but let him do as he pleased in the moment.    
  
“Mama and Papa should be downstairs.”

It didn’t take them that long to get down the stairs, though Snufkin was still quite weak from the heat exhaustion. Moomin made a mental note to make Snufkin a sandwich when he got the chance.

They found Mama and Papa sipping tea on the veranda. Once Mama caught sight of them, she quickly ushered Snufkin to take a seat. Snufkin sat the papers and pen down next to him and Papa never noticed that he’d had one of his special fountain pens. Once they sat down, he let Moomintroll take his paw within his own.  
  
“How are you feeling, dear?” Moominmamma asked, already rushing around the table to pour the both of them fresh glasses of lemonade. Snufkin gratefully accepted his with his free paw and sipped, letting the coolness of the beverage ease the pain in his throat.   
  
“Mama, Papa, what do you know about sirens?” Moomin asked once Moominmamma settled down. Mama and Papa shared a look, confused by the question. 

“I have a book on sirens in my study, I believe. Give me a moment,” Moominpappa said after a moment of thought, before leaving the veranda and stepping inside. Moomintroll, Mama, and Snufkin watched the door, waiting with nervous breaths for Papa to come back. All the while, Moomintroll’s paw never left Snufkin’s, if anything, he squeezed it tighter to comfort Snufkin and himself. 

“Yes, yes.” Papa said as he returned, a large tome in his paws. He flipped through the pages and began reading an excerpt. “One story of a siren rumored to be in the valley told of how she lured men and their ships to their deaths, and while many women and children mourned the loss of their husbands and fathers, one woman curiously took to the beach to speak with the siren.”  
  
“Everyone expected her to die, for coming face-to-face with a siren is truly something frightening. However, the woman came back, much softer and tender-hearted than before. Before long, she had begun to visit the siren more and more often. They spent so much time together, people began to suspect that they had become lovers. Since then, not much else is known of the siren of Moominvalley.” Papa finished, tucking the corner of the page inwards before closing the book.

“Ah, I remember that story. My mother use to tell me it when I was young,” Moominmama said, taking only a moment to reminisce on the nights of her long gone youth.

“What happened to the woman, Mama?” Moomintroll asked, turning from his father to his mother. Next to him, Snufkin followed, brown eyes watching and waiting for Moominmamma to reply. 

“I’m afraid she’s dead, dear. The story is quite old.” Moominmamma replied with a frown. She watched the way her son and his dear partner deflated like flowers wilting in the bridge of summer and fall. With a sigh, she turned to her husband, giving him a silent look that he understood instantly from all their years together.   
  
"Moomin, come help me. I think I have another book in the study I forgot about; two sets of eyes are better than one." Moominpappa says, standing from his seat and making his way over to the door. He stops and turns to his son, leaving his paw to rest gently on the handle to turn back to his son. 

"Oh," Moomin's ears perk as he sits up a bit straighter. Then he frowns and turns to Snufkin with a look of worry, "I…"

Snufkin holds up a finger to pause Moomin's words, picking up the pen and scrawling out, 'I'll be fine.' Moomin reads it allowed and sighs before getting up and following Moominpappa into the house. 

Moominmamma stared at the door for a moment, a wistful look on her face before she turned around and took a seat. “Snufkin dear,” Snufkin looked up from his cup of lemonade as she began, “I’ve watched my son grow in to a fine young man; and if there’s one thing I know about my dear boy... it's that he loves you very much.”

Snufkin feels flustered and put on the spot as Moominmamma watches him. It was one thing to hear it from Moomintroll, or to hear it from himself, but from Moominmamma it felt different. As if she knew of the conflicted thoughts that still bounced around in his head and threatened to eat him alive.

“I know that your happiness and comfort is almost always his top priority.” Moominmamma continued on, “He’s much like me when I was his age. Did you know Moominpappa would sometimes run off without warning, seeking the thrill of adventure?”

Snufkin shook his head. He knew quite a bit about Moominpappa and his adventures of course from the days he had read his memoirs allowed, but Snufkin never thought that Moominpappa would ever go off on his own without Moominmamma. It seemed unthinkable, really.

“Yes, indeed he did. Many nights I’d wake up to find him gone. It took me a some time before I learned to accept that was just how Moominpappa was. I learned I was happy to let him go, for he’d always return to me with open arms and stories and words of love. I learned to cherish the times he left, for they made the times he returned that much sweeter. And I know Moomintroll feels much the same when the two of you part in the winter.”

When Moominmamma paused, giving Snufkin time to soak up all she said, the mumrik glanced to the stack of papers beside him. He picked up the pencil, and with a shaky paw took to writing.  
  
_‘Thank you, Moominmamma.’_ Is all he can manage to write. Snufkin tries to write about his worries of the future; of what would happen if he and Moomintroll got married. Months had passed since he played for the spirits of the Forgotten Mansion, and how their story still stuck with him and hung heavy on his heart. He didn’t want such an ending for Moomintroll.

The idea of putting him through such a thing made him feel awful. It welled up in his chest and coiled around his lungs and squeezed so hard it felt like he couldn’t breath. He tried to write something but couldn’t make any sense of it. The world was growing blurry and he couldn’t understand why until Moominmamma placed her paw over Snufkin’s.

Suddenly, all the feelings he pushed aside and tried to ignore for so long came bursting forth and he couldn’t stop it. Within seconds, Moominmamma was pulling him into a hug, rubbing soothing circles on his back and whispering gentle words of comfort. His throat stung even more from the silent sobs that fought desperately to make a sound. He could speak earlier, even if just a little. Snufkin couldn't understand where what little of his voice had gone now. 

"Oh dear," Moominmamma whispered, "It's okay, Snufkin." He cried still and the silence in his form was frightening. Physically, his body shook with every violent sob but not a single sound escaped him. 

Moomintroll was quiet as he and Pappa returned to the veranda. He wore a frown as he tried to move closer and comfort his partner, but Moominmamma held up her paw, signing for him to stay still.

He felt a flicker of anger and turned his head away. Snufkin never cried unless he was truly distressed. He could remember the only time he'd ever seen Snufkin cry in the past; when the sea dried up. His wails of sorrow then were heartbreaking; but his silent sobs and shaking frame now was heart shattering.

When Snufkin's tears dried up, Moominmamma brought him up to Moomin's room (after making sure he was alright with it). Moomin followed and sat at the edge of his bed as Moominmamma tucked Snufkin in. He fiddled with the stack of papers he brought along from the veranda.

"Don't keep him up if you can help it, Moomintroll." Mama whispered to him as she left, "He needs to rest."

Moomin nodded, keeping his eyes on Snufkin's curled up form. Would it be best to speak to him? Snufkin answered that question by shifting and pulling into a sitting position. He and Snufkin were eye to eye, each searching the other's for a sign of something. Anything. Of what, neither truly knew, but it seemed words unsaid hung over their heads, sitting and waiting to be heard. 

"I want you to know something." Moomin begins. "If... if we ever get married, I'd never ask you to stay here forever. I know that you need your time alone, you need your space. Nothing would have to change between us." 

Snufkin gasped, barely audible but Moomin's ears flickered as they picked up the soft sound anyway. 

The feeling Snufkin got then was sudden and odd. He could feel each bitter, pained, and confused feeling that stung at his heart fly away like a butterfly in the spring time. It was true, and Moominmamma's words reflected in his mind. Moomin loved him. What Moomin said echoed back too,  _'Nothing would have to change between us.'_ As the words processed, Snufkin felt a smile spread across his features and he reached over, closing the gap between them to pull Moomin into a gentle hug. 

Moomin returned the hug, his arms so comforting and soft and secure around Snufkin that it lulled him to sleep in an instant. The troll took to gently lying Snufkin down on the bed, making sure he was comfortable. Once he deemed Snufkin comfy enough, he pulled back and watched Snufkin curl up. Silently, Moomintroll hoped that Snufkin’s dreams were happier than what they were dealing with now. He wondered for a moment what the mumrik could be dreaming about and hoped that at least in his dreams, Snufkin would have his voice. 

Moomintroll stood from his bed and wandered to the window. He spared Snufkin a glance and hoped he wouldn’t wake up while he was gone. The window opened silently and the troll was quieter than a mouse as he stepped down the rope ladder. The moomin had no plan as he snuck around the house, peaking his snout around the corner and peering through the windows to make sure his parents wouldn’t catch him, for he knew if they did they would make him return to his room. They wouldn’t listen to him as he tried to explain why he was doing this.

* * *

He stormed on to the beach, kicking up clouds of sand as he did. The warmth of the sand heated his paws, and the heat of the sun made him hot. It made his rage swell; as he looked around for the siren. "Where are you?" He called.

The siren was nowhere to be seen and Moomintroll was growing inpatient. He searched and found quite the hefty rock and threw it in to the sea. He shouted, "Show your tail, thief!" Watching the ripples spread out in every direction from where the rock splashed into the water. Nothing. Moomin sighed with a frustrated growl.

It was then he noticed another ripple in the water and there, from the sea, she rose. Black hair matted from the water and tangled together. Her eyes fell on him, a furious grey that chilled him to the bone. Her voice was melodic as she scowled, "What is it you want, moomin child?"

Fear struck through his heart, but he refused to back down. He needed to do this for Snufkin. "Give Snufkin back his voice!” He demanded, puffing out his chest in an attempt to make himself more threatening, though it did very little to intimidate the woman. 

The siren scoffed and rolled her eyes, “You truly are stupid to face me alone, child. Does your other half carry the brains?”

The harsh words stung Moomintroll for only a moment. He wouldn’t let her trick him and take his mind off of what was important. “I’m here for Snufkin’s voice!” Moomintroll shouted, and once again he could feel his anger flare to life.

“Too bad,” She replied, turning her back to him before flapping her webbed hand in a dismissive manner, “You’re wasting your time, run along home.”

She wasn’t getting away that easy.

Moomintroll picked up another rock and threw it at her as hard as he could. Every ounce of frustration and anger went with it as it soared past her head and fell into the ocean with a loud, disheartening splash. She glanced at it lethargically, her eyes blinking slowly at the ripples in the water.

Her back still to him, Moomin could see the gills in her side flutter as she asked, “Why do you insist on playing the hero?”  
  
“Snufkin is important to me.”

“Of course,” The siren huffs, turning her head to the sky. “It’s because you love him is it? What a fickle thing that is. Do you truly believe he’d do the same for you?”

“Yes!” Moomintroll exclaimed, taking slow steps to where the sea kissed the sand. The siren was sitting only a handful of feet away from the shore, her back still to him and her eyes trained on the sky. The way her shoulders slumped… made her look so sad. As if she wanted to cry but couldn’t find her tears. He continues, “I’ve loved Snufkin for years, I’d do anything in the world for him.”  
  
The siren scoffs, a smug look falling onto her face as she asks, “Truly? Even if he left you one day and never returned?”

“He would return, he always does.”

“Would you wait years?”  
  
“Of course. Snufkin is worth it.”

Over the horizon, storm clouds began to roll in, bring with it the soft rumble of thunder. The wind picked up, but neither noticed, eyes trained on the other as they spoke. Moomin felt tense, but what he had said was true. Snufkin was worth it. He always would be and Moomin was willing to wait for him no matter how long it took.

“You’d wait one hundred years?”

“I’d wait a thousand and more.”

Her smug look falls away into one of raw sadness that Moomintroll had not expected to see. She shook her head, groaned and rubbed at her eyes before saying, “Hm. Maybe you’re lucky, not everyone’s special someone always returns to them.”

Something clicked in Moomintroll’s mind as he released a soft gasp. “Did the one you love… leave you behind?”

She grows stiff at the question, her air of apathy returning. “That’s of none of your concern, moomin child.”

Suddenly fearless, Moomintroll stepped forward into the water. “Is that why you took Snufkin’s voice, because you were jealous?” She looked away from him, silent as thunder rumbled in place of her voice. She looked defeated, miserable. "What's your name?" Moomin asks. He's still mad with her but now Moomin gets the feeling that she was lonely. She was jealous.

"Ellia." She replies, her eyes still trained on the clouds rolling in. Ellia absentmindedly flicks at the water with her webbed hand, releasing a sigh after a time.

Ellia. Where had he heard that name before? It sounded so familiar yet he couldn't place his finger on it. His ears twitched in annoyance as he thought about it, before giving up with a huff.

"I'm sorry, Ellia." Moomin says. "Has your love been gone for almost a hundred years?"

"It's nothing of your concern." She snaps, her hair bristling as she turned to glare at him. "Go back go your love, you foolish boy."

Moomin gasped, remembering suddenly why he had come here. How could he have forgotten? He shakes his head defiantly and replies, "Not until you give back Snufkin's voice!"

Ellia scowled and shook her head. Then, she tilted her head to the sky and began to sing.

The feeling that overcame Moomin so suddenly was strangely warm and comforting and suddenly all he wanted was to return to his bed and sleep. He was so very tired. Why was he so tired?

He turned away from the siren, body moving on its own in the sleepy state it was in. The world passed by in a slowed blur, the green of trees mixing with the grey clouds; of soft rumbles of thunder and slow, bright flashes of light.

He could hear Moominmamma and Moominpappa call out to him with worry once he reached home, but he didn't register it. His bed was calling out to him.

Moomin didn't even register the warmth of Snufkin's body next to his once he crawled into bed, pulling his blanket up and curling it under his snout. His eyes fluttered closed, refusing to stay open for even a second longer. 

 

He was so very tired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Accidentally leaves story on cliffhanger for the second chapter in a row* I don't know how to properly end chapters I'm sorry. 
> 
> Chapter 5 isn't even started yet so I can't say when it will be posted but I can say that it's going to possibly be the last chapter unless I decide to make an epilogue! 
> 
> Thank you for reading and as always, comments and kudos are appreciated!


End file.
